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The Top 10 Things you need to know before you buy office furniture
1. Most office furniture is manufactured from Melamine or Veneer board (administration office desks, senior managers desks, managers desks, reception counters, call-centre furniture, training room furniture);
2. Veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 mm that typically are glued onto core panels (typically wood, particle board or medium-density fibre board) to produce parts of furniture (often used for senior managers desks and boardrooms);
3. Melamine is a type of organic material that is regularly mixed with formaldehyde which can eventually be manufactured into melamine board. The resulting resin and polymer created from this mixture winds up being resistant to fire and very tolerant to heat. Melamine board is a very versatile material that has many applications (administration office desks, senior managers desks, managers desks, reception counters, call-centre furniture, training room furniture);
4. Veneer is approximately 50% more expensive than melamine board (often used for senior managers desks and boardrooms);
5. Veneer comes in various colours, the most popular colours for office furniture being mahogany or cherry. Most executive offices and boardrooms are furnished in Veneer.
6. Melamine comes in a large variety of colours and is widely used in administration offices and call centres.
7. Because office furniture needs to last for many years and is often shared by many users, it has to be durable. To make furniture that lasts well while remaining to look good, is expensive. Cheap furniture will not last well in a busy office environment,
8. When comparing pricing beware of the quote that is a lot cheaper. There are two main reasons why a quote may be a lot cheaper when compared to others. The first may be that the factory or broker may be selling under cost to get the order. This is not a sustainable business practice and can result in them not being able to service the warranty period. The second reason may be that they are using inferior raw materials to produce the product. Buyer beware and remember the bitterness of bad quality will last longer than the sweetness of a good deal!
9. Buy your furniture from a company who wants to help you make the right choices and who can give you alternatives.
10. Buy furniture that you can add to as your company grows. Choosing off the shelf items may satisfy your need of wanting something immediately but a few years down the line the same items may no longer be available.